


Infinity Ghosts

by Marksman18



Series: Infinity Ghosts AU [1]
Category: Danny Phantom, Marvel Cinematic Universe, X-Men (Movieverse)
Genre: Alcoholic Vlad Masters, Attempts at Characterization and Worldbuilding, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Caffeine Addict Danny Fenton, Caffeine Addict Vlad Masters, Caffeine Addiction, Canon Divergence - Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Charles Xavier has a Ph.D in Adorable, Clockwork Has Seen Some Shit, Clockwork Hates Pants, Clockwork Needs A Hug, Coffee Addict Tony Stark, Crossover, Curious Tony Stark, Danny Fenton Needs A Hug, Danny Fenton Needs To Sleep, Don't Judge Me, Everyone Has Issues, Everyone Needs A Hug, Excited Tony Stark, Ghost Cores, Honestly Charles What Are You Thinking, Infinity Stones As Ghost Cores, Observants Are Dicks, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Other Fandoms Not Mentioned in Tags, Protective Clockwork, Protective Vlad Masters, Russian Vlad Masters, Secretly Insecure Vlad, Steve Rogers Needs a Hug, Tags Are Hard, Tags May Change, Thanos is a dick, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Is a Good Bro, Tony Stark Needs Sleep, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Truce Between Danny and Vlad, Vlad Masters Needs A Hug, recovering alcoholic Tony Stark
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-17
Updated: 2019-03-04
Packaged: 2019-08-07 14:21:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16410098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marksman18/pseuds/Marksman18
Summary: Thanos is coming, the Avengers are united,  the halfas have a truce,  Vlad is interested in someone other than Danny's mom, and Clockwork has several siblings who are showing up to help fight Thanos for potentially selfish reasons.Welcome to my lengthy-ass IW/DP crossover fic that will be updated kinda sporadically and have a few side stories.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> In this AU, the Infinity Stones are pieces of the cores of the six Infinity Ghosts, Clockwork(Time), Journey(Space), Amp(Power), Able(Reality), Psych(Mind), & Anima(Soul). On the Danny Phantom side of this AU, Clockwork and Vlad have been dating for three years and only recently has the public learned that Vlad’s dating anyone. Danny just turned 18 and obviously PP never happened. Vlad’s training Danny and had to actually relearn how to control a few of his own powers over the years he's been with Clockwork b/c the rage and bitterness he used to fuel them is gone. Clockwork is in this awesome clock themed/steampunk wheelchair b/c I like the idea that he can't properly manifest legs and so can't walk while disguised as a human. Vlad is Russian, but when he was little after his parents died some program was going on in the US to “rescue commie kids before they can become commies and give them better lives” or w/e, and he grew up in a home with like 25 other Russian kids and the oldest girl there refused to tell anyone her name and all the kids just called her “большая сестра” (big sister, pronounced “bol’shaya sestra”) or just “сестра” (sister, pronounced “sestra”). Vlad had actually been corrupted by the ecto-impurities that caused the ecto-acne and once it was gone for good he slowly turned less bitter and his ghost form started looking more like him in a lab coat. Like, he still has blue skin and fangs, but he looks more like himself. Vlad’s eye color ranges from blood red to hot pink depending on his mood. Why? Because i want them to and the idea of Vlad with pink eyes makes me smile. On the Avengers side, it's an Infinity War AU in which the Avengers averted Civil War by locking Tony & Steve in a room with nothing but each other and a bed. They are now dating and Pepper’s response to the news was the words “Fucking finally.” She was sick and tired of the UST between them. Tony did get the shrapnel removed, but his heart isn't able to beat properly on its own, so he still has the arc reactor to power it. They know Dr. Strange & Hulk & Thor are still out there, oh, and the X-Men (or at least some of them) are gonna make an appearance.

Clockwork floated in front of the magically cloaked Sanctum Sanctorum, time frozen, mentally preparing himself for what he was about to do. The Sanctum was, unfortunately, _shielded_ from his power, the New York Sanctum and all its counterparts across the globe, protected by the very treasure he was here to reclaim.

 

The Time Stone.

 

Contrary to what most who knew of the Infinity Stones believed, the Stones themselves were _not_ the remnants of the six singularities that existed prior to the creation of the universe, but instead were in fact missing, _stolen_ pieces of the cores of the _ghosts_ of those six singularities. The Infinity Ghosts (or _Infinities_ as they were more commonly called) _had_ always existed and _would_ always exist, and had gathered like the curious children they'd been around the first Ancient when he came to be, simply because he was something _new._

 

More and more Ancients came to be and soon (almost immediately, actually), the young Infinities were vastly outnumbered by entities that matured into adulthood _much_ quicker than they did. Soon a civilization bloomed and laws to keep everyone, Infinities included, in line were created. Time had seen that the Ancients were going to come down hard on the six little Infinities for every rule they broke, but he hadn't given it much thought then.

 

It wasn't like the more mature ghost could _do_ anything to them, right?

 

However, Time became concerned when the Ancients decided that the Infinities needed _caretakers_ , ghosts to watch over the powerful beings that were essentially rowdy two year olds. They all still broke rules as they played in the universe that was much, much smaller at the time and caused general trouble for their own amusement. Time had begun breaking fewer rules in any of their caretakers’ presence once they'd gotten them, wary of the possibility he saw coming, but his siblings, especially his sister Power, only rebelled further. None of them _liked_ the rules that were being forced upon them, and back then their caretakers couldn't actually do anything to them.

 

Until, of course, it was discovered that a ghost’s core could be used to _control_ that ghost. The first Ancient, a powerful ghost who called himself The Majesty (Time called him a pompous jackass, and then had to explain to his siblings what that was (and they then agreed)), had decided to break off a piece of each Infinity’s core and give it to their caretakers, thus granting each caretaker the title of “Master.” Clockwork could still vividly remember the _horrific agony_ he'd been in when they'd cracked his core and stolen a piece, his face and body irreparably scarred in the aftermath. His siblings, he knew, fared equally poorly, and immediately after the creation of the Infinity Stones they all were far too weak and in too much pain to resist even slightly as their new Masters pulled them away.

 

Clockwork harshly shook himself out of his thoughts and back to the present. Now was not the time to fixate on the past. Right now, Clockwork had a piece of his core to retrieve.

 

He had Vladimir to thank for tracking down the Time Stone (as an _anniversary present_ of all things (Clockwork had given him Vladimir’s birth mother's locket that had been taken from him by the American agency taking in Russian orphans back in the sixties and seventies)).

 

Clockwork mentally steeled himself, then released time and slipped inside the Sanctum. The purple-clad Infinity floated invisibly through the wards designed to protect the Sanctum and followed the faint pull of his missing piece.

 

“Who goes there?” A voice called from behind him, the feel of magic strengthening along with the pull of the Time Stone calling out to him. Clockwork pivoted to stare at the human, a man he knew to be Dr. Stephen Strange, and allowed himself to slip into the light spectrum visible to humans, his form sliding rapidly between child, adult, and elder and back again.

 

“Who or _what_ are you?” The sorcerer demanded as his stance grew more defensive, Clockwork’s gaze fell to the eye-shaped amulet hung around the man’s neck. The Eye of Agamoto, from which he could feel the thrum of power from his fractured core radiating out and calling to him. Distantly, it occurred to him that Dr. Strange might be able to feel the Time Stone calling out to him.

 

The human stared at the unmoving ghost that was now in the form of a young adult (eighteen, nineteen at the oldest) and shifted back a little when he noticed the long, jagged scar over the specter’s left eye began glowing the same red as its unblinking blank eyes. Dr. Strange could _sense_ that this being was somehow connected to the Time Stone, some ancient spell perhaps, and was very powerful.

 

“I'll ask you again: _Who_ and _what_ are you?” Dr. Strange forced confidence into his voice as the specter stared for a few moments longer, before it seemed to shake itself out of its stupor and began speaking in a level voice.

 

“I am Clockwork, Ghost of Time. And I am here to reclaim something that was stolen from me eons ago.”

 

“And what, pray tell, is it you've come to reclaim?” The sorcerer asked cautiously, wary of what the ghost may be after.

 

“Why, I'm here for the Time Stone, Stephen.” Clockwork stated, floating closer and closer as Strange backed away, until he had the human cornered. “What else would I be here for?”

 

Strange’s fear was evident on his face for a moment before he schooled his features and glared at the spirit who'd cornered him. “I will not surrender the Time Stone. If you really are the “Ghost of Time” you should have your own chronokinesis _without_ the Stone. And how do you know my name?”

 

Clockwork gave the distinct impression of rolling his eyes. “I know your name because I know everything. Yes, I have my own chronokinesis, but that chronokinesis is why the Stone gives its Master chronokinesis. You _did_ hear me when I said it was _stolen_ from _me_ earlier, right? You must give it to me.” Clockwork began to reach for the Eye of Agamoto.

 

“Do not touch the Eye!” Dr. Strange shouted, and the purple-clad ghost froze. His hand fell away and he scowled angrily. It took a few moments of tense silence and eye contact before Strange realized he had the ghost’s unwilling obedience. It took him another moment to realize that it was because of the Time Stone.

 

“The Time Stone can control you. That's why you want it so bad,” the human observed, then offered, “I can't let you have the Stone, but I can try to undo whatever spell binds you to it. I might be able to _free_ you from its hold.”

 

The ghost growled. “You don't understand. That won't work. The only way I'll ever be free is if I get that Stone.”

 

“How? What don't I understand?” Dr. Strange demanded, “Explain it to me!”

 

Clockwork grit his teeth and bared his fangs. “The holder of that Stone is my Master and that is the _only_ reason I'm telling you anything. The Time Stone is a shard of my core. A ghost’s core is their very essence, what they manifest from, what makes them _them_ , and without it they cease to exist. “Ancient” is the term used to denote a ghost that was among the first of all ghosts, or a ghost born from the death of a star. All Ancients are the ghosts of dead stars, so a new Ancient could be born now and still be considered an Ancient. I am what is referred to as an Infinity. There are only six Infinities and that is all there will ever be. We existed before the first Ancient, who is at fault for the creation of the Infinity Stones.

 

“A ghost can be controlled by a piece of their core. At one point when the Ancients had formed their own civilization, they decided that since my siblings and I refused to follow their rules they would force us to. The first Ancient had asserted himself as leader and he's the one who broke our cores and made our caretakers our Masters. The first Sorcerer Supreme stole the Stone from my previous Master without even knowing of my existence. Now I’ve told you enough and I need you to give me that Stone.”

 

Clockwork suddenly lunged forward and phased his hand through the Eye and grabbed the Time Stone. He pulled his hand back and thrust it through the now open door in his chest and behind to clock within the casing, fitting the stone into his well-hidden core. The tolling of bells and the sound of thousands of clocks ticking away flooded the room and overwhelmed Dr. Strange as he crumpled down on the floor with his hands clamped over his ears, eyes locked on the entity. Clockwork’s aura flared powerfully, his mouth fell open and his eyes widened to near-perfect circles.

 

It wasn't until the ghost had vanished with a look of bliss on his face, taking the deafening sound with it, that Strange let out the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding, finally took his hands off his ears, and slumped exhausted against the wall.

 


	2. Chapter 2

Tony smiled as he shook a guest’s hand and welcomed them to the gala. This was a Stark Industries charity gala organized by Pepper. She had personally seen to the V.I.P guest list and had added people she wanted Tony to at least be civil with, and that was how people like Norman Osborn and Vlad Masters got in. The “V.I.P” list was really just a list of people that Pepper required him to talk to.

 

So talk Tony did.

 

Osborn was still a dick and Tony still couldn’t stand him(his plus one wasn’t much better, a pretty face but an ugly voice and even uglier personality). Masters, however, was actually significantly nicer than he'd been last time they’d interacted, and Tony suspected that his change in demeanor was caused by his plus one, his boyfriend he'd just recently gone public with. Masters’ plus one, a man named Charles Work, had his long white hair in a braid down his shoulder, his exciting toxic green eyes watched intently as he listened, he wore a deep purple suit, had more watches on his arms than anyone could feasibly need and a pocket watch (the only one accurate in this timezone, Tony asked), he sat in a fully customized clock themed/steampunk wheelchair in which he would randomly roll away and come up behind Masters and make him fall backwards into his lap (the man didn’t have legs below his knees), he was incredibly sarcastic and had a truly wicked sense of humor, and, most notably, a long jagged scar over his left eye.

 

Tony knew that Pepper would most likely stab him with her stiletto right off her foot if he brought up his suspicions that Vlad Masters was secretly the vampiric Wisconsin Ghost (he was loath to admit that he believed in ghosts), but he really, really wanted to. A few days prior, Tony had run a facial rec on the Wisconsin Ghost out of boredom and to test out his updates to the software (he improved the bone structure recognition algorithms), and had spit out his coffee and ordered JARVIS to redo the scan when the results of the first scan popped up on the screen. After it had been confirmed that no, it was _not_ a mistake (unless Masters had a secret twin who died), he ran a facial rec on Amity Park’s Internet famous ghost boy “Danny Phantom.” He almost screamed when it turned out that Danny Phantom was _Masters’ godson Danny Fenton._ Now it made sense why the Wisconsin Ghost and Danny Phantom had such a familial relationship (someone even once recorded an argument between the two about Phantom doing his homework).

 

Tony looked to Stephen Strange next to him, the man looked distinctly upset and was suspiciously eyeing ~~the definitely a very corporeal ghost’s~~ Masters’ plus one. Two weeks prior, someone broke into the New York Sanctum, _almost_ fought Strange, and stole the Time Stone, claiming it was theirs in the first place. Strange had described the thief as a blue-skinned ghost in a deep purple cloak and tunic with black gloves, blank red eyes, more watches up its arms than anyone (living or dead) would need, a pocket watch dangling from its belt, a blue spectral tail in place of legs ( _No pants? Pervert._ Tony had thought with a repressed smile but thankfully not said), a clock _embedded_ in the spook’s chest, and a jagged scar across its left eye that glowed red when in close proximity to the Time Stone. Tony had insisted he come to the gala to try and take his mind off of the missing Stone and thief that was apparently bound to it, at least for a little while.

 

“I think the Ghost of Time is here.”

 

Apparently, Tony’s distraction had failed. Tony sighed, “What makes you say that?”

 

“Because,” Dr. strange said eyes still fixed on Charles Work as the man talked with Steve (Tony wasn’t jealous. He wasn’t. Okay, maybe a little.) about World War 2, getting a first hand account on what happened, “That’s him. Right there, in the steampunk wheelchair.”

 

Tony made a confused face. “What?”

 

“You heard me.” Strange’s eyes remained fixed on Charles (or Charlie as Tony called him) as he spoke, even as Charles Xavier rolled up to the little group of Avengers that had gathered around Charlie (who had tripped Masters into his lap again) and struck up a conversation with the other Charles (Tony valiantly resisted the urge to make a joke), “It’s him. It’s the exact same scar, on the exact same face, and if you look closely when he laughs or smiles you can see his canines are fangs!”

 

The sorcerer finally turned to Tony, glaring as he whisper-shouted, “I’m not crazy! I’d recognize that ghost anywhere, corporeal or not! Can’t you _feel_ his power? Doesn’t _something_ feel off about him?”

 

Tony’s face scrunched slightly in consideration. Truthfully, Tony _had_ gotten some kind of “not normal” vibe when he was talking to Charlie and Masters earlier, but he’d figured it was coming from Vlad. He pursed his lips. “I’ll invite Vlad and Charlie to the after party. I wanna ask Charlie’s vampire of a boyfriend a few questions, anyways.”

 

Tony put on his Showman Smile and sauntered over to the group, almost blurting out his and Stephen’s suspicions (but thankfully not) and lacing his fingers almost possessively with Steve’s. He turned to the rest of the group after giving his boyfriend a quick kiss on the cheek.

 

“Charlie, you’re a delight, and Vlad, well, you’re a lot less of an ass than you were the last time I saw you. You're both invited to the after party. Oh, and Cheese Pizza, remember you're always invited to the after party.”

 

Charles groaned at the nickname and muttered, “Let that die,” as he face-palmed and half of the Avengers (and oddly enough Charlie) laughed while the other half of the Avengers gave Tony bored looks and Vlad looked confused, not getting what was so funny. Tony waved the other billionaire off with a quick, “It's an inside joke. You wouldn't get it.” 

 

Vlad nodded, then he and Charlie had a quick quiet (almost silent, their voices were so low) discussion before the green-eyed man finally let his boyfriend out of his lap. Vlad smoothed the wrinkles out of hits suit and brushed a strand of hair that Charlie had tugged out of his ponytail behind his ear. Charles propped one elbow on his wheelchair and massaged his temple with two fingers, a movement that Tony knew was a cover for Charles using his powers. Tony caught a tiny upward quirk of the corner of Charlie’s mouth as he glanced at Charles for a split second, and Tony got the feeling that they were having a conversation via telepathy and they probably had had several such conversations over the course of the evening.

* * *

Charles Xavier found Charles Work fascinating. Xavier hadn’t intended to intrude on Vlad Masters’ mind, but when he saw the mental image of a very ghostly Charles Work covered in timepieces and purple fabric and switching from young to old to younger and back again in an extravagant green tinted clock tower, he _had_ to know more.

 

So now Xavier knew that Work’s real name was Clockwork, he was something called an Infinity Ghost (specifically the Ghost of Time), the ghost ticked instead of laughed and Vlad thought it was adorable, Vlad and his godson Danny were beings referred to as  halfas (whether that was a derogatory term or a title was unknown) and the only two of their kind, and that Clockwork had been broken up until two weeks ago when he retrieved the Time Stone after Vlad had tracked it down for him as their third anniversary present.

 

Charles had then, out of curiosity, tried to look through Clockwork’s thoughts, but was met by the ghost blocking him and only letting him hear the words, “Nice try, but not happening.” Clockwork then initiated a mental conversation with the telepath. Charles learned from their conversation that Clockwork’s brother Psych had trouble tuning out the thoughts of others for centuries and would often shut people’s brains off if they thought too loudly or too often and so his siblings quickly learned to block him out, and if he could block out the Ghost of Mind with ease, he could certainly block out Charles in his sleep.

 

They talked via telepathy for a while, and then the telepath wheeled over to where the Infinity was chatting and joking with the group gathered around him and struck up a conversation verbally with him. CW was funny and charming, a little smug, and enjoyed making jokes that made people uncomfortable. Vladimir was polite and civil. He still let out an indignant yelp when Work tripped him into his lap, which pulled a laugh from the entire group. Tony sauntered over and let a little possessiveness of Steve show before inviting Vlad and both Charles’ to his typical informal afterparty.

 

Xavier knew that Stark had figured out Vlad’s secret and really wanted to confront him, and so he knew Tony’s motive for extending the invitation. He also knew that Strange had figured out who Work really was and had confided in Tony. CW gave him a knowing glance when he silently warned him, and responded only with a mental chuckle and an “Oh, I know. I’m looking forward to it.”

 

Charles knew that Tony had caught the few visual signs of their telepathic conversation and was suspicious that they'd been talking all night. Well, he wasn't _wrong_. The rest of the gala went by mostly uneventfully, Bucky wandering off at one point and the Bugle’s representatives Eddie Brock and Peter Parker (Peter was also Tony’s favorite Stark intern and Tony _hated_ the fact that he also worked for the Bugle) wandering over to conduct a few interviews and take a few pictures. Vlad was civil with them, but when Eddie Brock had the gall to ask if Charles Work was a _charity case,_ Vlad visibly used every ounce of his self-control _not_ to deck the blond reporter, his hands balled into fists so tightly his knuckles were white and his nails drew blood, hits eyes twitched and seemed to flash red for a moment, and through gritted teeth he very nearly snarled, “Charles Work and I have been dating for _three years._ You _people_ only found out last week. No further comment.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Be warned, Vlad spends this entire chapter drunk and angry.  
> You'll also need this cipher to translate the Ectovox (I love the headcannon that there's as many ghost languages as there are human languages, one's literally just Latin and before Vlad started talking to ghosts in Latin they mocked him for not being able to properly speak the ghost languages, now they know better)  
> A=I  
> B=F  
> C=G  
> D=H  
> E=O  
> F=J  
> G=K  
> H=K  
> I=U  
> J=M  
> K=N  
> L=P  
> M/N=R  
> O=A  
> P=S  
> Q=T  
> R=V  
> S=W  
> T=X  
> U=E  
> V=Y  
> W=Z  
> X=B  
> Y=C  
> Z=D
> 
> Silent letters are removed and when two or more letters make a sound that is like one letter you use the letter it sounds like. The word "You" is an exception, it is still spelled out as "cae" entirely because I decided to make things easier by dropping letters you don't actually say after I wrote this chapter and I don't feel like going back and changing it.

Vlad sat brooding in the corner as Charlie tried to cheer him up and coax him to put down the (now almost empty) bottle of vodka in his hand. Natasha had brought up the man's Russian heritage when Tony commented on the white-haired man's legendary alcohol tolerance. She wanted to shut down whatever bizarre suspicions might be running wild in Tony's head before he did something impulsive and/or stupid because no matter how brilliant Tony was he still tended to have very little self-control.

 

Pepper smacked Tony’s arm when she caught him looking like he wanted to go over and accuse Mr. Masters and Mr. Work of something. She didn't want to make things worse after that little fiasco with Eddie Brock.

 

Peter was the only “reporter” (Tony refused to call him that because “it makes him sound like one of those vultures”) allowed into the after party despite the presence of alcohol and the fact that he was underage, because he’d asked Brock why a man of Mr. Masters’ stature would allow a quote “charity case” unquote to periodically trip him into his lap all night and the teen had then turned to the couple and apologized for the older reporter’s behavior after the blond had stormed out. Peter had been hearing the man talk like that all day, and he was sick of it. Vlad had said, “Well, at least the _boy_ has manners,” and had refused to say anything since. Not even Charlie had been able to get him to speak, and Charles reported that when he’d prodded the man’s thoughts he was told to piss off, albeit in ruder and more vulgar terms and in Russian and perfect classical Latin, and then received a slew of very creative and vicious death threats when the graying man realized that it was a _telepath_ that was to get him to say something and not himself. Charles could honestly say he had not expected Vlad to have such a vibrantly colorful vocabulary.

 

Steve knew Tony wanted to go over and say something that would most likely escalate the situation into a fight between the two billionaires, so he laced his fingers with Tony’s and pulled him off to the side.

 

“What is it, Tony?” The super soldier asked, “What do you want to say to Vlad Masters?”

 

Tony sputtered in denial for a moment, then sighed and crossed his arms (his fingers still laced with Steve’s) as he relented, “About a week ago I was testing this facial recognition program I’m gonna put in my suit, and as it turns out, that Wisconsin Ghost guy? Vlad Masters. Vladimir Makarovich Masters. And Strange says he thinks Vladdie’s plus one Charlie is the spook that stole the Time Stone. I want to tell Maters that I know his secret, but I’d get in trouble for starting shit with my party guests.”

 

At this moment, as Steve was about to respond, Scott and Clint’s argument had escalated to a shouting match which quickly drew the attention of almost everyone in the room and just as quickly devolved into a shoving match. Right by the concessions table. The duo fell hard on the table and the punch bowl was airborne. It flew through the air, and by the time CW had gotten Vlad out of his own head enough to be aware of his surroundings, it was too late. The punch bowl landed on Vlad’s head, soaking his suit and hair, and the entire room froze, silently watching with shock or horror (Vlad’s temper was just as legendary as his alcohol tolerance, and it was no secret that numerous different judges had saddled him with a _lot_ court-mandated anger management classes that obviously didn't work very well).

 

Vlad tore the bowl off his head with a snarl, revealing a pair of glowing red eyes sunken into a very corpse-like pale face as his makeup dripped off with the punch, and lunged, snarling like a rabid cat with his mouth open so wide it surely had come unhinged and four sets of long, sharp fangs making themselves visible, at the no longer bickering duo (who were now screaming and hugging each other in terror). Before anyone could pull themselves out of their shock (which actually only took about one second, if even that), Charles Work was airborne and yanking Vlad back as he flew back and forcefully landed on the couch, pinning a livid and thrashing Vlad’s arms to his sides whilst wearing a facial expression that clearly stated that this was in no way going to plan.

 

“You should’ve just let Tony come over and ask his accusative questions. This would have been avoided if he had just come over and been nosy.” CW said with a glare baring his own fangs (he had _six_ sets, and Strange was _certain_ that four of those sets were retractable) before _nuzzling the back of Vlad’s neck_ and _purring_ until he calmed from snarling and thrashing down to glaring somewhat drunkenly at everyone in the room and occasionally hissing. Tony was grinning like mad. He was slightly offended at being called nosy, but (hey, it was true) he now had undeniable proof that Vlad had some kind of powers and now officially he could be nosy and the other Avengers couldn’t tell him not to. Strange would’ve given Tony a dirty look if he hadn’t gotten into a battle stance and firmly locked his eyes on the duo on the couch.

 

“I was right. You are Clockwork.” The sorcerer said matter-of-factly. CW raised his head, and smiled.

 

“Why, aren’t you a clever human? Well, I suppose I needn’t keep up this facade any longer, do I?” Suddenly Charles Work was replaced by a purple-cloaked entity with a sky blue face, blank red eyes that glinted with an almost twisted amusement, a jagged, fading scar that cut across his left eye and a long blue tail that tangled almost posessively with Vlad’s legs in place of legs of his own. Now _all_ the Avengers were in defensive stances, even Peter (who was doing so from behind the Avengers where he’d been pulled by Pepper), and Charles Xavier put himself directly in the line of fire in an attempt to stop the fight before it began.

 

Clockwork laughed, “Now, now, Avengers. Lets calm down now. Charles, I appreciate what lengths you are willing to go to in order to avoid unnecessary conflict. I am not here for a fight, Avengers, I assure you. I also assure you that if I _were_ here to fight, it would be obscenely one-sided, you would all either be writhing in unimaginable agony or dead. I am not threatening you, I am simply stating facts.”

 

“Return the Time Stone, Clockwork,” Dr. Strange demanded. Clockwork’s face hardened and Vlad stopped twitching and purring drunkenly and began his thrashing and snarling anew.

 

“Cae zirx xa _fvoin_ lur ikiur? Cae zar’x garo _roiv_ lur, cae loiv ro!? Cae loiv ro!?” Vlad yelled, then shouted something in Latin that was likely offensive, and then began shouting profanities in Russian. Clockwork’s hand gently caressed Vlad’s neck as the Ghost of Time murmured something in his ear and glared.

 

“Doctor, you must understand: I cannot give you the Time Stone and I _will_ not give you the Time Stone. It simply isn’t possible.”

 

“Why can’t you give him the Time Stone, Clocky?” Tony’s question rang over his suit’s speakers, his curiosity overpowering his aggression as he asked and ignored his own boyfriend’s look that told him to take this more seriously.

 

“I know that Dr. Strange has not told you all he knows, likely because he thinks it irrelevant, but the Time Stone allowed its Master to control time because of me. I was bound to it not because of some ancient spell, but because it was formed when my core was _broken_ and a _piece taken_ , formed to make me controllable. The Master of the Time Stone is, by default, the Master of the Ghost of Time. I have been required to announce who my Master is since this universe was a mere eight thousand years old, since _I_ was a mere eight thousand. If we’re going to put this in human terms, I was a young _toddler_ just barely out of infancy, if even that. Now I do not have to announce my Master. I no longer have to specify that I am my own Master. I _like_ being free. I am _not_ giving that up for some mortal _former_ Master who only recently learned of my existence and will only live at most another few decades.”

 

“We can find a way to have you stay free without the Time Stone, Clockwork,” Steve tried, hoping to soothe the angry duo on the couch and still coax them to return the stolen Infinity Stone, “I’m sure of it.”

 

Clockwork was now livid and Vlad, who suddenly had rings that seemed to suck the light away pass over his body and in their wake left a vampiric ghost with long black hair and four sets of sickle-like fangs, looked more than ready to kill. Even Charles fixed everyone with a glare. (Tony was simply trying to contain an excited cackle along with a great deal of questions he wanted to ask that would be highly inappropriate at this time.)

 

“Steven Grant Rogers,” Charles stated, “Were you even _listening_ to-”

 

Clockwork cut him off. “ **Perhaps I didn’t make myself** **_perfectly crystal clear,_** ” the Time Ghost nearly shouted in his anger, “ **I am not** **_slave_ ** **to the Time Stone I** **_am_ ** **the Time Stone! In most ghost cultures I could legally** **_kill you_ ** **for insisting that I break myself and give you the broken piece! I will** **_not_ ** **put myself through the** **_agony_ ** **of breaking off a piece of my core! Not again!** I expected **_so much better from you, Captain._ ** What, does the fact that I’m _not human_ mean that I’m undeserving of _freedom?_ Of being _whole?_ I could slaughter all of you with a single _thought_ and in another timeline I already have, and if I wanted to draw it out I’ll have you know that when it comes to physical strength I am surpassed only by my sister Power. Or I could simply release my mate here and allow him to unleash his righteous fury upon your asses.

 

“You see Vladimir here? He doesn’t get ghostly rages, oh no, he bottles it up until he’s well beyond that, and _he goes berserk._ I hope you realize that right now I am not only holding him back physically, but I’m restraining his powers as well. If I weren’t, he would have beaten you with his telekinesis, or electrocuted you with his electrokinesis, or hit you with his ectoblasts, or, as he is trying to do now, tapped into into his core and set this building and everyone in it ablaze.”

 

Clockwork paused to give everyone a moment to process what he’d said, he knew that Tony would give in and start asking excited questions soon (thankfully none of which involved the re-creation of the Time Stone, but most were about his core and how cores in general worked), so he calmly added, “And Tony, I will answer most of your questions about how ghost cores work tomorrow morning and your questions about ghost culture and ghosts in general later.”

 

Once everyone looked properly chastised (the Captain was even bright red with shame at the thought that he was trying to force away someone’s freedom), Clockwork said, “I suggest that you put your weapons down, Avengers. I will not be able to calm my mate if he feels threatened or if he feels I’m threatened. Go on, I give you my word I will not attack you as soon as you let your guard down.”

 

The Avengers lowered their weapons one by one, Tony first and the most eagerly, and stepped back to give the ghosts some room. Tony was only able to resist asking his questions because he was promised answers in a few hours, and if Charles trusted this ghost’s word, then so did he.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look me in the eye and tell me that Vlad didn't learn Latin in college just to freak people out. I fckin dare you.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyy look who finally finished the fucking chapter.

It took nearly an hour to calm Vlad out of his berserk rage and another two to coax him back into human form, and Tony promptly offered to let the exhausted halfa and Time Ghost stay in one of the guest rooms until they were rested, sober(Vlad), and ready to explain everything as promised(Clockwork). The Ghost of Time graciously accepted (likely having already known he would offer) and lead the still aggravated and drunk halfa to one of the guest rooms. Charles asked if he could stay as well (likely to ensure that the awkward and uneasy truce between the ghostly duo and the Avengers lasted through the night) and Tony responded with, “Three floors up, second hall on the right, fourth door on your left,” because Tony always had rooms ready and waiting for his friends should they appear and want to stay over. 

 

It was now nearly ten in the morning and Tony jumped out of his seat and almost spilled his coffee (granted it was his fifth cup in the past hour, but whatever) as Clockwork suddenly appeared on the other side of the table.

 

Clockwork nearly smirked for a moment before it was gone, replaced by what had to be the best poker-face Tony had ever seen. “Vladimir is awake, hungover, and in desperate need of caffeine.”

 

And with that, the Ghost of Time unceremoniously dropped the groaning pile of ruffled clothes and messy hair that Tony was certain he hadn’t had slung over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes just a second ago into the nearest chair.

 

Vlad glared for a moment before whining and throwing his arm over his eyes as he curled up in the chair.  Tony got up, topped off his mug, got out a fresh one, filled it, and set both the mug and half-empty coffee pot on the table in front of the hungover billionaire. Vlad peeked out at the coffee placed tantalizingly close to him, stared at it for a full six minutes, and then reached out and took the coffee pot, drained half of it in a single gulp, and then cradled it like a baby in his arms. Tony pouted aggressively and put his hands on his hips.

 

He opened his mouth to say something, but Clockwork cut him off right as he was about to speak. “I can answer your questions now, Tony. Oh , little foreword of advice: Never ask a ghost what their obsession is, it is considered extremely rude.”

 

Tony’s pout was gone and an excited glint of curiosity shone in his eyes. “C’mon, have a seat.” A rather maniacal giggle escaped the excited engineer before he could stop it. “So, what exactly is a ghost core?”

 

“A ghost’s core is the very center of their entire being, what they manifest from, the absolute most important organ in a ghost’s body, actually, it’s the only real organ ghosts have. There are several different types of cores; standard cores are the most common, elemental cores are rarer, and there are only six entities with Infinity cores that can ever exist. I have the only Time core, my sister Amp has the only Power core, my brother Psyche has the only Mind core, my sibling Able has the only Reality core, my brother Anima has the only Soul core, and my sibling Journey has the only Space core. Fire and electricity cores are slightly more common than ice and air cores, with the exception of the people of the Far Frozen, who all have ice cores. Plant cores are one of the rarest types of elemental cores, only being beat out for the title of rarest by fear and corruption cores. Only about ten percent of all ghosts have elemental cores, the rest have standard cores. 

 

“Before you ask,  _ yes _ you are right about Phantom, no he does not have a standard core and I’m certain you can guess what type of core my hungover mate has (“‘Boyfriend,’ not ‘mate,’ tha’ soun’s weird,” aforementioned hungover halfa mumbled, “Irh zix’w xluw ifaex rc Puxxpo Fihkov?”) They are called halfas and that is an explanation for another time. A ghost without a core is called an imprint, and imprints are not considered true ghosts. They are simply ectoplasm pulled together by strong emotions after a person’s death, but the emotions aren’t strong enough to condense and pull enough ectoplasm in to form a proper ghost. These almost ghosts are far more common than actual ghosts and they’re what most mistake as ghosts. Imprints are entirely harmless and often have trouble interacting with the physical world. I will explain the different kinds of ghosts later. Anyway, ghost cores are the source of core powers. Core powers are only possessed by those with elemental cores, often called elementals, and Vladimir are you listening? You should be listening, I  _ know _ you weren’t listening when I explained this to you the first time.”

 

That earned him a glare and Tony asked why Vlad hadn’t been listening the first time.

“Oh, Vladimir can’t listen when he’s frustrated and distracted.” This earned him a kick to the chair and offering to elaborate on why Vlad was distracted earned him getting his arm caught on fire and DUM-E (upstairs gathering food set out to restock the lab’s snack bar) rushed over with his ever-present fire extinguisher and tried (and failed) repetitively to put it out, the Time Ghost chuckling the entire time. Tony just watched in slight panic and reminded himself that Clockwork had mentioned Vlad having pyrokinesis (and he was pretty sure the halfa was a fire elemental). Clockwork used his chronokinesis to refill the coffee pot in Vlad’s hands and the fire put itself out. Cap and Strange picked that moment, as Vlad halted the burning of his ghost boyfriend and purred into a very full and now boiling pot of coffee, DUM-E confused and holding his fire extinguisher at the ready, and Tony sitting tense in the chair, to walk in. Cap was confused, and Strange was furious.

 

“ _ You _ ,” the sorcerer’s voice rose, getting everyone’s attention and earning a harsh glare from the hungover half-ghost, “The ghost that apparently is the physical manifestation of  _ Time, _ should  _ not _ be laughing and goofing off! You should be far more concerned about the fact that a raging lunatic is searching for the Infinity Stones and I know that you must know he’s coming!”

 

Clockwork’s face darkened and his eyes glowed stronger, a sign that Tony had noticed indicated his anger despite the lack of change in his monotonous voice (Tony had also noticed a slight lisp as the ghost explained things to him). “I am fully aware of the fact that the Mad Titan Thanos is gathering Infinity Stones. His last stop will be Earth for the Mind and Time Stones, neither of which will I allow him to get. I have already contacted my siblings and they are on their way, Journey will be here first. Tomorrow morning, in fact. Possibly with Able. they’d be here already if they were at full strength. We will find Vision and remove the Mind Stone in a way that won’t kill him when Psyche gets here. We will have to seek the aid of Wakandan technology. 

 

“Thanos already has the Space and Power Stones and he’s sending three of his children, Ebony Maw, Corvus Glaive, and Proxima Midnight, specifically, to collect the earthbound stones. Iron Man, Dr. Strange, and Spider-Man will stop Ebony when he goes after the Time Stone as he is unaware that it no longer exists, and Captain America, Black Widow, and Falcon will save Scarlet Witch and Vision from Proxima and Corvus. They will arrive searching for the Stones in exactly one week. I will tell you where to be when the time comes, and not a moment sooner. Do not let the children of Thanos learn of the existence of myself and my siblings, they will inform Thanos and he will then actively seek us out and use the Stones to force us to do his bidding, not just abuse our powers. The failure of his children will draw Thanos to Earth, where the Avengers, the entire Wakandan army, the remnants of the Guardians of the Galaxy, Thor, my siblings and I and whoever I decide to bring along will defeat him. I know what I’m doing, mortal. Everything is currently as it should be.”

 

Everyone in the room, which now held Natasha, Bucky, and Charles, stared in shocked silence (except Vlad, who was glaring daggers at Strange). The silence went unbroken as Charles seemed to have a telepathic conversation with someone (likely Clockwork) until Strange was unnerved enough by Vlad’s glaring to say something about it. 

“Okay, Masters. What gives? Why are you giving me that look?”

 

The faint smell of burning wafted through the air (noticeably not from Clockwork’s formerly singed arm). “Stop making him mad. Clockwork told me what happened last night so I know you know my secret. I know you people can’t feel it, but Clockwork’s aura flares with his emotions if he gets upset enough and  _ I  _ can feel it.” a slight sense of dread hit every human in the room all at once. “You should be grateful that he has such a good control over his Presence. If he didn’t you’d all be running for the hills.”

 

“Ypihuruv, vow, cae v vux, fex sepp fign caev Svoworgo. Cae raz xloc’vo mersc oraef iw-uw.”

 

The layer of dread eased away and Clockwork gave Vlad a little smile. 

 

“So Thor’s gonna be here?” Tony’s sudden question  drew the room’s attention. “What about my Science Bro? And who are the Guardians of the Galaxy, friends of yours?”

 

Clockwork gave him a look. “The Guardians are not my friends. They are a team composed of a former child of Thanos, a man whose entire family was killed by Thanos, an angry raccoon that was experimented on, a sentient tree that the team is raising who is presently a teenager, and their alleged leader who is half human, half celestial and briefly held the Power Stone in his bare hand. Doing so nearly killed him and the other Guardians, with the exception of the tree, he wasn’t more than a mere twig then, and the half celestial then killed his father whose true form is a planet and that particular celestial was trying to consume the known universe.”

 

“Yikes.”

 

Clockwork nodded slowly. It was not lost on Tony that he was avoiding the question about Bruce (and subsequently, the Hulk). However, Steve was the one who spoke up.

 

“You’re avoiding the question: What about Bruce?” Clockwork shifted to a child and gave him a dead stare.

 

“I know I’m avoiding that question, thank you. I’m doing so on purpose.”

 

The Avengers present looked at Clockwork with matching looks of annoyance and disapproval. Tony asked why.

 

“Because I can.” Was Clockwork’s simple reply as he aged into an old man and leaned back in his seat. Strange glared at him, and Vlad tossed a pillow at him.

 

“He does that often,” the halfa said as he ignored the sorcerer’s indignant shout. “You’re actually lucky he’s being this helpful and cooperative. That’s honestly the most information about the future I’ve ever heard him give anyone, myself included. He is the single most cryptic and unhelpful entity that I have ever encountered. Quit complaining.”

 

Strange glared at everyone in the room, and turned and left only when Charles fixed him with a look. The telepath then turned to the room.

 

“Jean called me a moment ago and told me that I, and I quote, ‘need to get back to the academy right now and get the argue-flirters to either shut the hell up or get a room.’ Of course I left out the gratuitous amounts of swearing she did when she had to yell at them because they brought their argument indoors. Clockwork has agreed to send me there via teleportation.”

 

Tony looked curious, but Bucky beat him to the punch. “You can teleport?”

 

Clockwork nodded. His age changed again, this time to an older teen, and as his age changed so did the position he was seated in. He sprawled across the chair sideways, reaching a hand over to play with Vlad’s hair, hand moving to his ear when he started hissing and smiling as that hiss turned into a purr. Steve cleared his throat to get the Infinity’s attention.

 

“Wouldn’t teleportation be more of a ‘Space’ power than a ‘Time’ one?”

 

Clockwork looked thoughtful for a moment, then nodded and shrugged. “Well, all of my siblings can teleport to  _ some _ degree, Space is just the most skilled and least limited in that power. I usually just open portals when I have to transport more than just myself. Less tiresome honestly.”

 

The room fell quiet again. When it became apparent that the ghost had no intention of continuing, the only sounds in the room being vlad’s purring and Clockwork’ contented chiming, Charles cleared his throat.

 

“Oh, right,” the ghost said with a few loud ticks that sounded almost like a chuckle, “My apologies.” And with that, he suck out his hand and a clock hand appeared and spun around, leaving a swirling blue vortex in its wake. “There you go, Charles. One portal home.”

 

Charles hesitated, and stared at the portal.

 

“Go on, it’s safe. Although you may want to hurry, I can’t keep it open forever. If you wait too much longer it will start to destabilize.” Charles nodded, said a quick goodbye, and was off. The portal closed with the clock hand reappearing and copying its earlier course once Charles was through and when the Avengers looked back to the Time Ghost and halfa they found Clockwork sprawled across Vlad’s lap, Vlad smiling, drinking coffee, and looking much less hungover, and the both of them purring.

 

“You’re purring.” Bucky was the one to break the (relative) silence after several long moments of staring at the purring pair.

 

Vlad huffed, “Very astute observation, Sargent.”

 

“Let me rephrase his statement as a question,” Tony said as Bucky continued to stare with a confused look on his face, “ _ Why _ are you purring?”

 

“Ghosts purr when they are happy, to comfort themselves and loved ones, promote healing, and on occasion we purr as a means to flirt.,” Clockwork said, still purring. “It is an instinctive core response similar to a human smiling, only ghosts don’t fake purr.”

 

“So ghosts are basically spooky humanoid cats?” Tony asked, his face neutral.

 

“Not all ghosts are humanoid,” Clockwork shrugged, “But basically.”

 

Tony burst out laughing. He continued to laugh as a pillow was thrown at him and he laughed harder when he dodged and it his Clint in the face as he stepped into the room, who let out a startled yelp. Tony didn’t stop laughing for a full two minutes because every time he thought he was done laughing, he glanced at the ghostly pair and cracked up again.

 

“Sorry, sorry,” he said once he got control over himself again, “It’s just,  _ spooky cats. _ ”

 

“Spooky… cats?” Clint was now very confused (as opposed to minorly confused as he was a few seconds ago) as to what the hell he just walked in on.

 

“Ghosts purr.”

 

Clint’s face slipped into an expression that simply said “no” and he turned around and walked right out the door he’d come through with a quick “I’m out,” thrown over his shoulder. Natasha seemed like either she’d gotten bored of talking to people or she wanted to tell him what was going on and followed the archer silently out the door. 

 

Tony and Vlad looked at the now empty doorway, then to Bucky (who was still visibly confused), and then to each other. When they made eye contact they both burst out laughing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chap is gonna just be two characters bonding. Kudos to whoever can guess who. (Pls let me kno who you think it is, I wanna know what you think.)


End file.
